Story Time
by Steph-Schell
Summary: Miles tells Lilly a very special story. Part 7 in "NoraxBass"


Miles idly played random chords, humming snatches of old songs he barely remembered. Bass and Nora were off doing…whatever it was Bass and Nora *did* when they weren't ruling the country. Miles didn't' ask. He already knew far too much about their private lives, thank you. That meant he was babysitting Lilly for the day. Not that Miles minded. The girl was sweet and usually alright left to her own devices with some crayons and paper or a kiddy book. Sometimes it made Miles a little hurt to watch the child that was nearly the same age as his niece had been the last time he saw her. But not too much anymore. Bass kept promising that after they hammered out the situation with the Georgia Federation, troops would be sent out to find Ben and the kids. Miles wouldn't be without the rest of his family for long.

Speaking of the little devil, she had been silent for far too long. Which was not a good thing where little kids were concerned. "Lilly Flower," he called, setting his guitar aside. "Where are you, sweetheart?"

There was a muffled reply from the dining room so Miles went in search of his little niece. "Under here," Lilly called as he approached.

Miles flipped up the table cloth to find Lilly under it with her dolls. "What are you up to, Squirt?"

"Not a squirt."

"Doesn't answer my question, Lills."

"I'm playing with my dolls. Anastasia is trying to defeat the Troll King but Peyton is not being helpful."

Miles nodded like he completely understood what she was talking about. "Why don't' we play in the living room where I can actually keep an eye on you," he suggested.

"Carry me?" Lilly asked.

Miles lifted her into his arms and carried her back to where he had been sitting before. Lilly squirmed and tugged at his sleeve. "Uncle Miles, why is there ink on your arm?"

Miles adjusted the short sleeve of his t-shirt. "It's a tattoo," he explained. "Like your Daddy has. Only mine is a different design." He deposited Lilly on the floor of the living room. She darted over to the fire place while Miles stretched out once more on the couch. "What are you looking at Lilly Flower?"

"The pictures," Lilly replied. "I have a question."

"Ask away," Miles gestured.

"There's lots of pictures of you and Daddy and your brother up here."

"Yeah, and?'

"How come Mommy isn't in any of the pictures?"

"Those pictures were taken before the Blackout," Miles explained. "Your parents didn't meet until afterwards."

"Didn't they have things to take pictures after the Blackout?"

"There were cameras but most of them ran on electricity. And even if you could find a film camera, there weren't many people who remembered how to develop it. So your parents have to rely on all those drawings they have around the house."

"You've been friends with my Daddy a long time, right?"

"Since before we were your age."

"So you were there when Daddy met Mommy?"

Miles smiled, knowing where this conversation was going. "I was there that very day."

Lilly turned her wide blue eyes on him. "Can you tell me the story?"

Miles grinned. "Come sit over here with me," he said, moving his guitar. Lilly scurried over to the couch and settled next to him with an excited air. "Let's see…it was about two years after the Black out," Miles began. "We had just formed the Militia. It was really small back then, and your dad and I were out on patrol."

"What were you looking for?"

"Anything really. Supplies, survivors, bandits, recruits…" Miles shrugged. "Mostly we were just trying to figure out the lay of the land. Your mom and your Aunt Mia were holed up in a barn that we were searching for food." Miles grinned at the memories. "Your dad was the first to find them. Both skinny as rails and frightened of their own shadows."

"Didn't mommy and daddy get along at first?"

"Not at all," Miles laughed. "In fact your mom nearly clawed your dad's eyes out. I had to pry her off of him and restrain her so Bass could tell her and her sister we meant no harm. Took us nearly an hour to convince them we weren't going to shoot them."

"What happened then?"

"We offered to take them back to our camp. We'd been picking up strays for a while. Most joined the Militia but some were just civilians that helped around camp. They did things like the washing or the cooking. Not everyone in a military camp is a soldier. Not back then anyway."

"Mommy must have joined you."

"She did," Miles nodded. "She thought we could help her give her sister a better life if they were with us. And it was safer to be with the people with guns than against them."

"Did Mommy like camp?"

"Not at first." Miles sighed. "Battlefields and military encampments are rough places. She was only 17 at the time and her sister was even younger. They were afraid of some of the men we had picked up." Miles couldn't' blame her either. There were a lot of men in that camp who wouldn't think twice about taking a girl that was underage. With or without her consent.

"Did Daddy protect her?"

"Every chance he got," Miles nodded. "He made sure they slept in the tent right next to his and if he couldn't' be with them, he made sure someone else he trusted was. Your mom really liked how much he cared about the safety of everyone in camp. They started becoming really close."

"Did mommy help him with the battles like she does now?"

"Your mom was the one that taught him how to work with explosives," Miles explained. "She was really good with them. Never did figure out how she learned to do that. But she taught your dad all sorts of tricks. Really helped us turn the tide of the war."

"Is that when they started falling in love?'

Miles considered it. "Probably," he agreed. "They certainly started hanging out more."

"When did Daddy ask Mommy to marry him?"

"About a year later. We were going off to a very dangerous battle and your dad asked your mom if she would wait for him. She told him of course she would. Your dad smile and told her that when he came back, he wanted to marry her. Your mom nearly cried she was so happy. She kissed him and said he had to come back now because she was going to hold him to his promise."

"How old was Mommy when they got married?"

"Let's see…your mom was 18. Your dad was 26. They were married in an old church that was still pretty usable."

"You were there right?"

"Of course," Miles grinned. "I was your dad's best man."

"Was Mommy pretty in her wedding dress?"

"Beautiful," Miles assured her. "Her sister and several of the camp women had sewn it for her and it was all white lace. They even made her a veil, though where they scrounged up the material for that I will never know." He thought about how Nora had looked coming down the aisle and the way Bass had lit up when he saw her. "Your dad had me pinch him because he was certain he was looking at an angel."

"Was Mommy's hair all back and braided like she wears it now?"

"Nope. It was even longer back then because she hadn't been able to get her hands on scissors for quite a while. Your mom's hair nearly reached the small of her back. She let it down just for that day. Her sister walked her down the aisle and told your dad if he ever hurt your mom, then she would come for him."

"Did she carry flowers like your sister?"

Miles frowned. "I don't have a sister, Lilly Flower."

"Sure you do. The lady that married your brother. The one you don't like much."

"Oh, her. Actually she's called a sister in law. But that's off topic. Yes, your mother carried wildflowers she had picked herself that very morning."

Lilly smiled as she thought about her parents' wedding. "Did they come live at the capital right away?"

"That was a little later, when we started really building up the Republic. There's a lot of history here so your dad thought it would be a good place for a capital. And there were large homes where he and your mom could live. Your dad wanted to give your mom the best of everything."

"What happened to Aunt Mia? How come she doesn't come around often?'

"She's working undercover for your dad. She does special missions."

"Oh. So they came here and settled and Daddy took over the government, right?"

"Right," Miles nodded. He leaned in close to her. "And do you know the best part of the story?" he asked in a stage whisper.

"What?" Lilly asked in the same tone.

"Two years later…you were born."

Lilly grinned and wriggled her way into Miles' lap. "Thank you for the story Uncle Miles."

He hugged her tight. "You're welcome, Lilly Flower." He looked up as the clock began to chime. "Sounds like its lunch time sweetheart. Let's see what I've got around here that edible."

* * *

**A/N: **Special shoutout to Iron America for helping me work out the numbers on this one.


End file.
